Mack had been recruited to support the war effort while working as a writer for his Southern Congressman. He had a concise and vivid writing style and held a strong anti-communist point of view. These were the attributes necessary to contribute to the Government’s efforts to inform the public on the urgency of supporting the Vietnamese struggle against the insidious spread of communism. Considered by his peers as a highflyer, Mack had impressed his superiors with a combination of razor-sharp intellect and unwavering loyalty. He never lost sight of the tactical goals delivered from above while devising ingenious methods to achieve his targets.
Soon he found himself working out of the Pentagon office and his stories were being published in a wide gamut of popular and scholarly press. One day he read one of his published articles and realized some of the facts cited had been slightly altered. Although the thrust of the argument was enhanced, he knew that the figures were incorrect. Approaching his boss, he learned and internalized the timeless amoral lesson ‘the end justifies the means.’ He was told how the enemy (those loony lefty critics) played dirty, distorting the facts to serve their ends and therefore there was only one way to fight fair: fight dirty. Mack never raised the question again. Convinced of the sanctity of the mission, he never allowed himself to be deterred by ethical dilemmas.